Obstacle alert systems are common in a large commercial aircraft. These systems typically monitor multiple aircraft parameters and provide alerts to the crew upon sensing obstacles in proximity to the aircraft. One example of such a system is the Enhanced Ground Proximity and Warning System (EGPWS) which is an on-board system that compares the aircraft parameters with an onboard terrain database. However, the system requires routine upgrades and maintenance to the database. Also, the database requires a significant amount of storage in the onboard computer system of the aircraft. Sufficient storage space for such a large database may not exist on smaller aircraft. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method for transmitting obstacle alerts for an aircraft from a ground-based database.